Golden’s Complete End-of-Life Pre-planning

Most people know that estate planning, such as preparing a will, is very important. Many people know that pre-planning their own final arrangements is also important. Even so, only 33% of adults across Georgia, Alabama, and the U.S. have documented their end-of-life plans.

Linda and Tom Golden of Perry, Georgia had been thinking about making their end-of-life plans official for years. Linda’s 70th birthday was the motivation she needed to get their wills, trusts, and funeral plans finalized.

“As I was approaching 70, I knew we were way overdue to get our end-of-life pre-planning done. We got the estate planning, the wills and trusts underway, and I knew preplanning our funerals would take a bit more thought and research. I didn’t want an expensive traditional funeral, and I wasn’t sure about cremation,” Linda Golden explained. “I definitely didn’t want my kids to have to make those choices for me or Tom later on.”

Tom and Linda visited Whispering Hills Natural Green Cemetery and Memorial Nature Preserve in LaGrange several times, as they considered final resting place options. “I love the idea of being returned to the Earth in a beautiful place, surrounded by nature,” Linda noted.

Linda says it was a phone call to their daughter Regina about their visits to Whispering Hills that reinforced the family’s choice of a natural cemetery. “Regina told her dad she thought it was a great idea, and that securing a peaceful site surrounded by flowers, trees, and streams is exactly what she wanted too.”

Linda’s parents are buried “in a traditional cemetery on a busy highway” in the town of Perry. “That’s not at all what we want,” Linda emphasized. Regina and her husband Brad, both in their early 50s, also opted for natural burials at Whispering Hills instead of plots at the traditional cemetery in Perry. The family ultimately decided to secure four burial sites at Whispering Hills for natural burials in the flower-filled meadow on the edge of a forest of towering trees.

“We’re excited to have our end-of-life planning complete, and we’re so at peace to know our plans will be followed just like we want them to be,” Linda explained. “We did our research and talked with our children and family about everything from financials to funerals and feel blessed to have such an incredibly peaceful and beautiful final resting place so close to home.”

The Goldens live about two hours from Whispering Hills and have brought friends and family to explore the natural cemetery and memorial nature preserve.
“We have told many of our friends all about this beautiful place, and we have the peace of mind that comes with getting these very important pre-planning decisions made and behind us,” Linda shared. “Now my sister and some of our other kids are thinking more seriously about it too.”